Articles Tagged with Baby constipation

To understand constipation, it helps to know how the lower part of the gut (colon, large bowel) works. As food moves through it, the colon absorbs water while forming waste products. The waste products are the ‘stool’ (faeces).

Muscle contractions in the colon push the stool towards the rectum, which is the last section of the bowel before the anus (back passage). By the time the stool reaches the rectum, it is almost solid because most of the water has been absorbed.

Constipation is a very common problem in infants and children and is frequently seen by both pediatricians and family doctors. Most of the time, reassurance, dietary changes, and laxatives are effective treatment for both the patient and family.

Constipation can occur at any age and the evaluation and treatment may be different depending on the child's age.

The newborn infant should have his/her first stool within the first 24 hours after birth. Failure to pass stool by 48 hours of life may signify a more serious condition such as Hirschsprung's disease; meconium ileus due to cystic fibrosis, or hypothyroidism and further evaluation of the infant is needed.

Constipation is distinct as having a bowel group fewer than three times per week. With constipation stools are more often than not hard, dry, small in size, and tricky to eliminate.

Some people who are constipated find it painful to have a bowel movement and often experience straining, bloating, and the feeling of a full bowel.

Some people think they are constipated if they do not have a bowel group every day. However, normal stool removal may be three times a day or three times a week, depending on the person.

Constipation means different things to dissimilar people. For many people, it simply means infrequent stools. For others, however, constipation means hard stools, complicatedness passing stools (straining), or a sense of imperfect emptying after a bowel movement.

The basic reason of constipation is almost forever poor eating habits. Constipation also signifies the inability of your intestines to execute their purpose due to poor quantity of fiber in your food.
These bad habits of eating have fallouts for your body that reach beyond a simple uneasiness. In fact what goes inside your abdomen can have far reaching penalty for your body and can cause such serious disease like cancer and heart troubles.

Symptoms of Constipation: -

• Stress or other emotional disturbances.
• Lack of regular exercise or physical activity.
• Pregnancy.
• The aging process.
• Excess use of laxatives.
• Lack of fiber or hydrating fluids, such as water.

Baby or Infant Constipation is caused when the stool becomes harder or firmer. Your baby may become painful or knowledge some pain when he/she needs to have a bowel movement.

Constipation can also be caused by the bowels not being totally emptied as normal. This can cause a build up of stool, which may lead to constipation.

However, when real constipation occurs, you definitely need to have your baby checked by a fit practitioner. Constipation can be a symptom of a more serious physical or moving condition and may even indicate an intestinal blockage in younger babies.

Symptoms of constipation in children: -Some of the signs of constipation in children include: